Alumni E-News: Easter Term 2024

Dear Reader,

Another jam-packed term at St Edmund’s has drawn to a close and this newsletter is here to tell you about all the amazing things that have gone on in College, your home from home in Cambridge. We’ve got shout-outs to our incredible graduates,
sports victories to celebrate, and even a peek into a fantastic new summer program collaboration. Plus, there’s a whole Editorial of creative writing to ponder and a warm welcome to some very special new members of the St. Edmund’s family.

And don’t forget to RSVP for the upcoming Annual Concert & Dinner – all the details are right here!

Yours,

William

Development Assistant

Congratulations to all our students who graduated on Saturday 29 June 2024 as part of General Admission. Our students processed down the hill from College to the Senate House for the traditional Cambridge University graduation ceremony before returning to St Edmund’s for the traditional drinks reception to celebrate their achievements.

The Development Office was delighted to host some of the graduates the night before at our annual Graduands Reception, and to award the Alumni Society Prize for outstanding contributions to College life to Miss Alannah Atherton (m. 2021). Alannah has served on the CR committee, the Boat Club, and worked on numerous Telephone Campaigns, and graduates with a 1st class degree in Theology, Religion & Philosophy of Religion.

We hope you’ll join us in welcoming all our new graduates to the alumni community!

If you have any fond memories of your graduation to share, please get in touch. 

 Members of St Edmund’s featured in the combined All Greys XV (Eddies/Wolfson/Darwin/Hughes Hall), which won the intercollegiate Bowl final against Pirton (Pembroke/Girton) 36-15, at Shelford Rugby Club. The All Grey’s have been a fantastic team this season, and won the Fair Play trophy awarded by the district referees society. This continues a long tradition of Eddies success in Cuppers, long may it continue and our involvement running intercollegiate rugby.

Curtain Call Collaborative, the St Edmund’s College drama society, invited guests to Step into the elegant world of Victorian England with our uproarious adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s timeless classic, “An Ideal Husband.” Set against the backdrop of high society, this comedic gem follows the lives of Sir Robert Chiltern and his charming wife, Lady Gertrude, whose seemingly perfect life is threatened by scandal and blackmail.

Set in the leafy surrounds of the Orchard during May Week, with extravagant costumes, lavish sets, and a talented cast bringing Wilde’s iconic characters to life, this production offered an evening of laughter, romance, and intrigue.

Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief, Emma Foster (m. 2022), the second edition of St Edmund’s College creative writing journal The Editorial was published. Emma wrote:

“This project would not have been possible without the contributors who revealed their creative projects to the world and the volunteers and designers who brought it all to life. Thank you all again for your support, contributions, and creativity. We look forward to next year!”

St Edmund’s College was delighted to welcome an academic delegation on Wednesday 5 June from Xidian University, X’ian to discuss a new programme as part of the St. Edmund’s Global Programmes.

Xidian University is one of the leading universities for Telecommunications Engineering and Computer Science and Technology and will be sending its first cohort of students this summer from 4 – 17 August.

St. Edmund’s alumnus and BlueBridge Education Managing Director Stewart Eru (m. 2002) said: “ St. Edmund’s Global Programmes continues to gather momentum with growing interest from international universities. We look forward this summer to introducing a variety of the St. Edmund’s academic community who really enrich the experiences for our international guests.”

St Edmund’s College was pleased to celebrate the admission of four distinguished individuals as Honorary Fellows at a special ceremony on Friday 24 May 2024.

Drawn from academia and industry, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge formally admitted four distinguished individuals as Honorary Fellows: Professor Edward Acton, Dame Kate Barker DBE FAcSS, Professor Francis Campbell and Rev. John I. Jenkins C.S.C.

Honorary Fellowships are awarded by the College’s Governing Body to exceptional individuals, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to society and as leaders in their specialist fields.

Calling all St Edmund’s Alumni! The Master, Catherine Arnold OBE, and the St Edmund’s College Alumni Society invite you to return to College for an unforgettable evening of music, merriment and memories on Saturday 28 September 2024.

This year’s event is extra special! Be among the first to welcome our the Master Elect, Professor Chris Young, and hear about his vision for the future of the College. It’s the perfect opportunity to reconnect with College life, learn about exciting new developments, and forge connections with fellow alumni from all walks of life.

Music for this year’s concert will be provided by St Edmund’s alumnus Dr Pierre Riley (m. 2015). Book now to secure your space!

St Edmund’s MSt AI Ethics & Society May 2024 graduates Dr Francois Buet-Golfouse and Steve Hoquee invited Dr Mike Katell, an Ethics fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and visiting senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London to deliver a keynote to guests and graduates of the inaugural cohort of students to have studied AI ethics, and to enjoy a reunion dinner in College.

Steve said ‘It was great to learn of Mike’s deep insight on the intersection between AI and social justice through the lens of philosophy of technology framed by his groundbreaking research and to reunite our pioneering MSt AI Ethics & Society cohort. The St Edmund’s conferencing team did a splendid job of looking after us, our group are already looking forward to returning to the college for future alumni re-union meet ups.’